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GREAT article in the Frame.io blog about WHY FCP X went “magnetic.”
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[Shane Ross] “But that, again, is a practice that predates this magnetic timeline, so for him to say it’s something new was one of those BS statements I was talking about.
Later on his points are good, but the opening of the article is just poop.
“Only if viewed from one perspective.
Over and over in the X debates – people have pushed back with “but MY program does that too.”
And yes, it does. Of course. But not the same way. At all.
The real, functional difference is that the entire point of the X rebuild was to RE-ARRANGE the entire program to move those things that every NLE does such that many of the processes used to build and arrange stories have new conceptual operations that make them easier and more fluid to execute.
It’s not that you CAN’t move the constructed block represented Scene 3 of your timeline three scenes later. Everyone understands that you can. Everyone understands that ALL NLE programs allow that.
But the way X is arranged, it’s moving ONE clip. And that extraction and re-positioning EVERYTHING else around to accommodate that change is made vastly easier. Why? Magnetism.
Thats what Ruben was saying in his post.
Tom Carter posted this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRZgVZd9UmQ
TWO YEARS AGO.
He did the move in a tracked NLE – and he did the same move in X.
The only thing different is that magnetic persistence of the editors original intent – as it now works in X.
That’s all.
Creator of XinTwo – https://www.xintwo.com
The shortest path to FCP X mastery.Some contents or functionalities here are not available due to your cookie preferences!This happens because the functionality/content marked as “Google Youtube” uses cookies that you choosed to keep disabled. In order to view this content or use this functionality, please enable cookies: click here to open your cookie preferences.
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Neil,
Great. Please articulate WHY they are horrible assumptions.
We can all learn from a discussion of THAT – more than just the assertion.
I’m perfectly ready and willing to learn about situations where tracked crushes trackless in agile asset arrangement.
So can you give me a few examples we can talk about?
Thanks.
Creator of XinTwo – https://www.xintwo.com
The shortest path to FCP X mastery. -
Double post, sorry.
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All of Shane’s points are completely valid.
I would add that Reuben is obviously too young to have a larger knowledge of the history of editing and the process of editing. And it becomes most apparent when he talks about how FCPX helps an editor focus on story.
The primary story line is just a new way of describing A-roll. The basis for all visual story creation is building an a-roll or “story line” and then building the visuals and audio that support that story line. This was the process when I worked with 1/2″ tape, 3/4″ tape, BetaSP, Digibeta and now it continues with all of the digital formats. Nothing about this process is different. it’s just a new way to get it built.
FCPX is quite helpful and fast in building A-rolls and adding the supporting elements but there’s nothing new or groundbreaking about how FCPX treats the process of story building and the article is highly misleading and somewhat naive.
I Hate Television. I Hate It As Much As Peanuts. But I Can’t Stop Eating Peanuts.
– Orson Welles -
[Bill Davis] “Please articulate WHY they are horrible assumptions.”
I did. Editing has ALWAYS been story based. No editor…no GOOD editor ever said “I need music to happen 45 sec and 12 frames in.” Based edit decisions on seconds and frames, but always on when the story dictates “we need a cue here,” or “cut here for dramatic emphasis” or “cut away here to illustrate what is happening, or for metaphorical purposes, or to bridge a cut in the interview.” We add music when the story beat calls for it, or when something happens, and never “oh, someone said something important, I now need to add a cue 12 seconds after that, and it needs to line up with the cut on track 5.”
No. Nothing is cut like that. If it is, than the editor isn’t focused on story, and rather on something else and, sorry, that makes them not a good editor. No matter what you are cutting, story is always king, story beats are always in play and are always the most important. Scripted, doc, reality, commercials, corporate. Story is always the basis for any cutting or adding of music, never what frame in time. ALL of his opening arguments are based on a complete false assumption that editors edit based on timeline timecode or some nonsense. And that somehow, FCX and it’s amazing magnetic timeline freed editors to think of story, and not be burdened by that style of editing. Only, that style of editing really doesn’t happen. Seriously, I don’t know anyone who cuts like he describes.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
[greg janza] “The primary story line is just a new way of describing A-roll.”
NO – IT – IS – NOT.
It’s a magnetic assembly area that works DIRECTLY with the browser database to rapidly assemble prepped assets into vertical and horizontally connected asset groups. Prepped assets that can be imbued with the editors actual EDITORIAL INTENT before they arrive.
To artificially imply “it’s just a new way of describing A-Roll” reveals a pretty stunning lack of understanding of how FCP X functions at the most fundamental of levels.
My 2 cents.
Creator of XinTwo – https://www.xintwo.com
The shortest path to FCP X mastery. -
Where is the interview audio? Where is the scene audio? Where is the music and SFX? I can tell you right away by looking at this timeline. Interview is in Blue, and always on A1-A2 (some bleed to A3 if a third person is present). Scene work is always A3-A14. SFX – A15-A19, MUS A20-A21 and VO A-22. And I color code my tracks so I know exactly what is where. Interview is blue, scenes are green, SFX is salmon, music purple, VO yellow. I can see in an instant what is where.
With scene work it’s important to keep the same characters/reality people on the same track, so when we get to the mix, the main character is always on A3, his brother on A4, the expert on A4…and so on.
And yes, I know with Roles you can assign colors, which is a new feature and GOOD. And that you can assign the characters to specific Roles, and that is GOOD. Roles will most certainly help speed that up. Because the one thing that does slow me down just a bit is assigning source to timeline tracks. Not by much, but it does slow me down. I know that, I acknowledge it.
Also in that pic, titles are on V6, lower third backplates on V5. Subtitles on V6 (all text is on V6). And because they are high above the other tracks, I can in an INSTANT spot where they are and zoom into them to change them. In FCX, they sit atop the other tracks, and I need to do a bit more scanning to find them.
NONE of the editing you see there is based on “I need to cut to a reaction shot 10 frames after someone said something” or “this music cue needs to line up with the cut on V1 and A3.” No..they are added when the story calls for them.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Again, I’m not arguing about this. Yes, I acknowledge that swapping out sections like that is much faster in FCX than in FCP Legacy, or Avid, or Premiere. Yup…it wins. That is not at all what I am talking about…not what I am taking issue with.
You are arguing with me and countering with things I am not even talking about.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
[Shane Ross] “No editor…no GOOD editor ever said “I need music to happen 45 sec and 12 frames in.” “
You didn’t say it.
BUT:
When you put that clip on a timeline where the timelines OWN functional system REQUIRES that element to exist at 45 sec and 12 frames – that’s what the program was MAKING happen. And that clip stayed at 45 second and 12 frames – regardless of anything else you did subsequently. Unless you moved it. And EVERYTHING around it while lassoing and grouping things to maintain sync.
Just because you – as an excellent editor – maintained your focus on the story – and therefore didn’t realize that’s what you were doing – doesn’t mean the program wasn’t making you do EXACTLY that.
Storyline timecode in X is fixed only for the state your edit is currently in. And floats otherwise. Which is lovely, once you get used to it. The timeline breaths, expands, contracts and morphs as it’s construction demands. It does NOT lock anything you put on it to ITS time.
If you choose to edit in a 10 frames clip 15 seconds into your entire 1 hour long project – in X a clip formerly at 0:45:45:12 – floats to 0:45:45:22. Automatically. Preserving it’s position relative to the assets around it (b-roll, sync sound, etc.)
That’s the whole point of X.
Seriously. ????
Creator of XinTwo – https://www.xintwo.com
The shortest path to FCP X mastery. -
[Shane Ross] “You are arguing with me and countering with things I am not even talking about.”
Sorry, but your original post seemed to me to be doing exactly the same thing.
Arguing against the article for somehow not “honoring” things it wasn’t discussing.
I didn’t see anywhere in it that said, for instance, that editors who used other software were “wrong” in any way. Nor that their systems couldn’t do things X can do.
But that was the impression I got from your original post.
Sorry, if I misconstrued your intent.
Creator of XinTwo – https://www.xintwo.com
The shortest path to FCP X mastery.
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